Basics of corn and corn harvesting
Whitetail Deer
I hunt a dairy farm in upstate NY, southern tier area. Amongst other things, there are lots of corn fields. I am hoping for some education on corn. Not interested in becoming a farmer, just want to know as much as I can about what to expect for the season. 1) this year, one field has been harvested for three weeks, all the rest still standing. Seems like every year different fields are harvested a month or more apart, we can never figure out what the factors for that are. Other than space available, why would you leave some corn standing an extra month or more? 2) seems to me like when a field was cut for the ears the field was a goldmine for deer all season (shelled corn?). Most of the stalks were there, just broken with the ears gone. Last two years, it has been cut low and stripped (silage I think). Field has deer sometimes but nothing like before. Wouldn't cutting silage be sloppier and leave more corn behind? anyone else prefer one or the other for deer? 3) do you cut for ears and for silage at different times of the year or a some different dryness or something. 4) last year a neighbors field (~80 acres) of standing corn was not cut down till Jan-Feb timeframe. We felt like it killed one part of our property for deer activity. Most of it was knocked down and looked very scraggly. Is there any deliberate reason to do that on a farm, or was it just some type of mistake/oversight?
Should be plenty of information on the web but basically three harvest times for corn. As you said - cut low and completely gone for corn silage. Second is high moisture shell corn -- they combine the ear off and store the grain in a silo. Third, regular shell corn combine the ear off and leave the rest. When combined for shell corn the corn needs to be dried down to about 12-14% moisture content. Each farmer plays the game of how much natural drying they can get to limit how much they have to pay for drying at the grain terminals. If there is no storage available and corn has high moisture content, some farmers choose to leave it on the field over winter. Modern combines really clean a field of grain. Past years, some farmers picked the ears and stored them in a corn crib on the farm, and there was usually a lot of ears that stayed in the field.
Sometime pretty much nailed it. The best option for hunting is an old combine that is inefficient that shells it and leaves as much stalk and grain in the field as possible. The only thing I can add is that here in IL, most corn usually doesn't reach 12% moisture. They start picking around 20% and sometimes earlier.
When they cut silage, almost nothing is left, and it might as well be a bare dirt field.
There isn't much corn picked in the Midwest that is at 12% moisture. If the farmer is storing it himself they will take it at 17% ruffly and just throw air on it in a bin. I don't know what its like in NY but corn harvest sucks in the Midwest this year. Cool wet summer led to late maturity. Add in a wet fall and the corn not wanting to dry down in the field. It can be tuff hunting a corn field after they chop it for silage. They take everything stalk and all. I think they start chopping shortly after the black stage.
There are many maturities of corn from 80 day to 115 day. With corn no longer $7 a bushel and more closer to $3, farmers don't want to pay the drying costs to get corn down below 15% moisture, which is safe storing/selling moisture.
Genetics of corn has changed a lot as well. The grain's are more designed to dry down faster. With not as many dairy farmers around, there is less high moisture corn harvested, and most corn is now being harvested for grain for the ethanol plants, for export and domestic use.
Andddd as ive posted in various forums before, the genetics now days for grain isn't as nutritious for deer and livestock. The protein levels are lower, the starch levels are higher but they are more slowly broken down. Corn can take 6-9 months in storage to get to a level thats highly digestible to animals. The University of Wisconsin has done some research on this and i've been reporting this for numerous years, since the stacked hybrids first started coming out. This is why i'm less of a corn fan and more into alternative crops and other grains.
1) Q: this year, one field has been harvested for three weeks, all the rest still standing. Seems like every year different fields are harvested a month or more apart, we can never figure out what the factors for that are. Other than space available, why would you leave some corn standing an extra month or more?
A:
Weather and field soil conditions can affect access to the field. Harvesting equipment is heavier than cultivation equipment, also grain moisture must be low enough that it won't mold before it dries after picking or combining. Some fields are left for these reasons, there may be others, including equipment availability, if a machine breaks at harvest time, it may take time to get parts and get it fixed.
2) Q:
seems to me like when a field was cut for the ears the field was a goldmine for deer all season (shelled corn?). Most of the stalks were there, just broken with the ears gone. Last two years, it has been cut low and stripped (silage I think). Field has deer sometimes but nothing like before. Wouldn't cutting silage be sloppier and leave more corn behind? anyone else prefer one or the other for deer?
A: Yes picking or combining (picking and shelling combined) will leave a lot more waste grain-corn (ripe grains) on the ground, which a are higher-value food than silage waste, and grain lost as cut silage isn't dry and may ferment or mold quickly on the ground.
3)Q: do you cut for ears and for silage at different times of the year or a some different dryness or something.
A: yes, silage is cut green, or at least with lots of residual moisture, it has to be moist or it won't ferment, which is integral to the ensilaging process, the corn actually ferments and "pickles" itself in an an aerobic environment. if it's too ripe this can't happen. So silage is cut earlier.
4) Q: last year a neighbors field (~80 acres) of standing corn was not cut down till Jan-Feb timeframe. We felt like it killed one part of our property for deer activity. Most of it was knocked down and looked very scraggly. Is there any deliberate reason to do that on a farm, or was it just some type of mistake/oversight?
A: It was probably due to the reasons above, an unfortunate loss of grain due to lousy weather at harvest time, an unfortunate equipment breakdown, or a death or illness in the family. I can remember twice leaving corn standing to mid winter, once was a picker breakdown and one was a conmbination of bad weather and illness.
Also, Here is a thought, if you know the farmer well. ASK what the plan is.
SUGGEST co-ordinating harvest times so you may be able to HELP with either labor or FUEL COST. Maybe ask if they would estimate the cost-loss of a couple rows of corn, let you pay that amount, and disc-harrow down 2-3 rows to keep grain on the ground (if this is legal in your state)
maybe the uncut corn was planted a bit later
